Fence-post



(NoModel.) W' H' FRAME.

FENCE POST. No. 602,740. Patented Apr. 19,1898.

Wl f

www q Snom/vbo@ GWW, mi) zum mne. M hm( y ,mm/u

' @Mod/neg Nita STATES- PATENT 'Erica WILLIAM H. FRAME, oE PEABODY,MASSACHUSETTS.

FENCE-POST.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 602,740, dated April19, 1898.

Application tiled July 26, 1897. Serial No. 645,997. (No model.)

To all whom, it 777160Z/ concor-12,:

Be it known that I, VILLIAM H. FRAME, of Peabody, in the county of Essexand State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Railroad Fence- Posts; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appert-ains tomake and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in fences, and more especially tothe post and manner of connecting the wires thereto.

The object of the invention is to provide a fence-post in which thewires are held in positive engagement therewith and in such a mannerthat they can be readily released lwhen it is desired to tighten thefence-wires or otherwise repair the fence.

The invention also contemplates a construction of a fence-post,providing one that is strong and durable and, besides, possessing theadditional advantage of being made ornamental in appearance.

To the above ends the invention consists in providing a round orrectangular fence-post with transverse recesses, having centrally acavity and grooves intersecting the same, in connection withretaining-platestting within the recesses of the post and provided withlugs which enter the Acavity and press the wires therein, making a sharpbend which holds the wires rmly in place.

In the following specification I have entered into a detaileddescription of my invention, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, and to numerals thereon,which designate the different parts,and what I consider to be the novel features of construction arespeciiically set forth in the claims.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure l is anelevation showing a fence-post constructed in accordance with myinvention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the fence-post.Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view onvthe line X X of Fig. 1. Fig. 4.is a detailed perspective view of one of the retaining-plates.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, l designates the fence-post,which is preferably cylindrical in shape and constructed of metal,

the lower end being pointed to facilitate the operation of driving thepost into the ground. This post is provided at intervals with transverserecesses 2, the central portions of which are each provided with acavity 3 and grooves 4 4, leading to the sides of the post. Inconnection with these recesses and cavities in the post I provideretaining-plates 5 therefor, which are shaped to iit within the recessesand lie ush with the outer surface of the post, having holes 6 6,through which the screws 7 7 are passed for securing said plates inplace. On the back of the retaining-plates project lugs 8, the outerends of which are notched, as shown, and these lugs are so located withrespect to the recesses in the post that they project into the cavitywhen the plates are secured in place. It is intended that these platesshould fit nicely within the recesses, so as not to mar the generalappearance of the post, and as I prefer to have the,

post of metal the plates are also metal and are secured in place bymachine-screws.

In making'up a fence with my improved post the wires are placed withinthe grooves to extend across the cavities, and the screws are taken upto slightly press the lugs thereof in engagement with the wires, andafter the wire has been properly stretched the screws are driven homeand the retaining-plate forms sharp bends in the wire, which prevent itsbecoming loosened. This manner of connecting the fence-wires to the postforms a cheap, simple, and efective means that not only firmly holds thewire in place, but also provides for tightening the wires or otherwiserepairing the fence, for in tightening the wires the plates are merelyloosened and the usual wire-fence tightener employed, after which theplates are brought in place by tightening the screws and will form thebends which hold the wire against longitudinal movement.

The fence-post hereinbefore described is particularly adapted for use inbuilding railroadfences,and in this connection it is made of metal,which will prevent its being destroyed in case of fire, which may beoccasioned by sparks from the locomotive, and in some instances Ipropose to connect the wires or panels of the fence by the ordinarypickets,

IOC)

either wooden or metal. This will form a very strong and durable fence,not only for railroad purposes, but in other connections.

It will be understood, of course, that though I have referred to thepost as being constructed of metal it could be made up of wood and metalretaining-plates employed in con-V nection therewith. It will also beapparent that the upper part of the post could be inished oi in anyornamental design, and that other changes or modications could be madewithout sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A fence-post having cavities with grooves on a line therewith, incombination with retaining-plates havinglugs which project into thecavities, said lugs engaging the fencewires to press them within the'cavity and form sharp bends, substantially as shown and described.

2. A fence-post having a cavity therein, in combination with aretaining-plate provided with a projecting lug which-enters the cavitywhen the plate is secured in place, substantially as shown anddescribed.

3. A fence-post having transverse recesses with central cavities andgrooves extending from said cavities to .the sides of the post, incombination with retaining plates tting within the recesses and havingrearwardlyprojecting lugs which enter the cavities, substantially asshown and described.

4. A fence-post having transverse recesses with a central cavity andgrooves extending from said cavity to the sides of the post, incombination with retaining-plates provided with rearwardlyprojectinglugs having notched ends, and means for securing the plates in therecesses of the post, substantially as shown and for the purposes setforth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo `subscribing witnesses.

W'ILLIAM I-I. FRAME. lVitnesses:

BENJAMIN G. HALL, ALFRED MCKENZIE.

